SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Did you know that a whopping 700 gallons of water are consumed in the manufacturing of just an average T-shirt? Alternatively, that one pound of textile emits more than seven pounds of carbon dioxide? Have you ever heard that 17-20 percent of water pollution occurs due to industrial textile dyeing? These are just some of the scary and shocking facts that prove to us that the fashion industry has a lot to do with climate change, an issue that as most of you know is very close to my heart.

If there’s one thing that I want to create more awareness is – Sustainable Fashion. That is why I am honored to have Raza Beig, Director Landmark group and CEO of Splash Fashions and Iconic, with me here today.

When Raza was in Amsterdam five years ago, he was intrigued by the terminology “sustainable fashion” which he heard for the first time. I personally have a lot of respect for Raza for admitting that he and the others in the business have done much damage to Mother Earth without even realizing it. The things he heard and saw hit him hard because he has been in the business for the last twenty-five years, but he was determined to do something about it.

Raza set his mind to it and later collaborated with a few agencies in the West to guide through the whole process of gradually producing a more eco-friendly line in the fashion arena. Soon afterwards, his entire team was put on board so that they could all work together and be responsible citizens. As Raza says, it must start with the awareness of us being conscious of what we are doing.

They first launched their sustainability in fashion collection two months ago for the SS 2017 collection. This year, they are committed to making 5 million pieces of sustainable fashion; and by 2020, their goal is to have at least 50 percent of their business to be sustainable. Imagine that! A company is so dedicated to having a strong moral ethic and saving Mother Nature that they set their minds to having half of their clothing being made of sustainable fabric.

If you are wondering what kind of fabrics they use in sustainable fashion, these are made of cotton and polyester – and today every fiber has an alternative. Almost every vegetable, like bamboo and banana, can be converted into the fabric (if you watched my episode with Baby Shop, then you know what I am talking about). It is luxurious, breathable, trendy and most importantly, it has our environment’s well being as a priority.

Raza admits that Splash is doing this initiative consciously because they want their competitors to join them in celebrating sustainable fashion. This is a fashion line that is both trendy and price conscious! Moreover, think about it this way, you are paying the same price you would pay somewhere else, but at Splash you’re at least giving back to the environment and letting them know that as a consumer you care about sustainable fashion.

Fun fact: 19 plastic bottles are used to produce one extra large T-shirt. Now imagine having to make a full collection, how many plastic bottles would you use? Alternatively, rather, how many plastic bottles would you recycle? Recyclable polyester is also a great alternative because now there is the technology that makes the fabric of a much better quality than the original.

For this collection, Raza tells us that Splash has maintained the serene theme trend: pastels, soft coloured, washed colors, all the areas where you do not have to use hard dyes and kept natural at best.

Here’s another fun fact: Splash’s smaller sizes out of this collection sold the fastest! That means that our youngsters are more switched on, learning about climate change and sustainability in school. Raza even admits that the people who have destroyed the earth are people his age, with his children being the ones who are more eco-friendly than him.

Watch the video and hear about Sustainable Fashion from Raza himself

Sustainable Fashion is not a one-time tactic for Splash, it is a program that they are working on step by step; and we, the lucky consumers get to witness them moving forward. Splash has always been a trendsetter, and I sincerely hope this trend catches on too. What about you? Are you excited to check their new collection?